Awkward
by SerenePhenix
Summary: Detached prequel to "Sensitive": Feelings can be very contradicting and memories something very special... R&R please. Image by GraphiteDoll on DA.


Jack felt positively awkward at the moment.

It had been a few weeks since they had managed to send Pitch back into the shadows under the beds of children all around the world and the Guardians had begun to reorganize and indulge into their duties. The lights on the Globe were once again increasing but it still would be a long way to go until all of the children believed once again.

But they had time now; Pitch wouldn't be coming back all too soon. But the Boogeyman wasn't what bothered the Guardian of fun as he was sitting together with the other legends at the Pole drinking a mug of hot chocolate, discussing what needed to be done to bring joy to the children again.

Jack did not feel awkward because he was being asked by everyone if he could lend them a hand (which he was more willing than ever, he wanted to make up to Bunnymund especially).

No.

Jack felt awkward because he had regained his memories from a life he had completely forgotten for the last three centuries and along with it came the memories of his sister, which he had saved from drowning in a frozen lake only to drown in it himself, but also his memories of his believes as a child.

Jack tried his best to hold back a purple blush to adorn his face which was pretty difficult, considering he was pale as a ghost.

Memory loss is a pretty tricky thing and it is even worse once contradicting feelings clash with each other.

Jack glanced up from his mug and stared at each and every one of the mystic figures he had adored and believed in as a child. There was North, big and brawny, bringing children gifts and presents on Christmas. Jack couldn't help the smile once he remembered his sisters face lighting up in excitement when she had found oranges, nuts, a few cookies and small doll in her little boot after having left it at front of the door. He would sometimes find himself with the same dainties and in one year where he had really been good even with the small figure of a hunter and a few wild animals carved out of wood.

He had pictured Santa Claus as a big man but really not as huge as North truly was, or with the Russian accent, or the tattoos by the way… He grinned like a fool as he thought about it but it faded a little as other memories pushed themselves in the forefront of his mind, like when he had desperately tried to get the man's attention with his futile attempts at breaking into his factory. How it had hurt when it was always just Phil and not North stopping him, as though he was some nasty nuisance (which he had probably been back then) not worth his time.

That thought hurt like a knife but he managed to drown out that pesky little voice by reminding himself of how fatherly the man treated him now and it really was soothing.

Then there was Tooth, chit-chattering quickly with Sandy.

Jack's mother had been a kind and caring woman and she done what she could with what little means they possessed to make sure her children grew up strong and healthy and that included they care for their teeth. When Jack had been very little and his sister was still inside his mother's belly, she would tell him about the Tooth Fairy and how she only took very pretty and clean teeth and left the ones that were not to her liking. By now, Jack knew that Tooth would take all the teeth to ensure that the children remembered everything – no matter what condition they were in.

Still, he was thankful his mother had hammered that believe into his thick little skull and later his little sister's, the result being that by the time he became Frost he still had all his teeth unlike the other kids and adults who had not cared so much as to what a sprite might think about the inside of their mouth. He was just happy that now he did not have to run around with a tooth gap for the rest of his immortal life.

He chuckled as an image of his sister came to his mind. She had always believed the Tooth Fairy to be a tiny little sprite much like the one the modern kids called "Tinkerbell". What he wouldn't do just to see Pippa's face once he told her, that her little fairy was in fact a very big and feathery one. She probably would have accused him of lying even if it was very much true.

He was not particularly angry at her for not bothering with him. It made sense. He had had no more baby-teeth to lose so of course, he was of no interest to her anymore. Still, being ignored is never a nice feeling no matter by whom or why. But Tooth had proven to be a great friend and companion and sometimes Jack found himself seeing his mother in those violet eyes.

Sandy on the other hand had a bit of a longer history with him, at least once after he became Jack Frost. As a kid he had also heard of the Sandman but his believe in him hadn't been as strong as in the others, maybe because he had trouble remembering the dreams he had had when he was younger.

The first time Jack had really taken notice of him was when he had been somewhere in Europe spreading a very harsh winter around 1810 or 1840 something. In retrospect he regretted his actions, seeing as it caused many people, worn and hungered out because of war, to die from freezing. Many children and many parents had been mourning at that time.

He remembered sitting on the highest branch of an ancient oak when the strings of light appeared.

Curious he had reached out his hand to touch the glowing, sun-golden sand seeing it transform into dolphins in front of his eyes. He jumped up and down a little seeing once again these graceful animals he had come across while flying over the ocean. He thought they had something in common, him riding the winds and they riding the currents.

He laughed as they danced around him engulfing him in that in that gentle and oh so warm light. As he looked up he caught sight of a man purely made out of sand too, a cloud of the same color holding him airborne. Jack had grabbed his staff and propelled himself on the platform. As though the strange man was expecting him he smiled, inclining his head in a friendly gesture. Jack had grinned back like a lucky school boy too happy that another sprite was acknowledging him without hostility like the Leprechaun (whose golden pot he had accidentally frozen while looking where a particularly beautiful rainbow ended) or the Groundhog (who was not pleased by his unwanted appearances).

Sandy had not "said" anything else that particular night. Instead he had concentrated of countering the nightmares of children, frightened to lose their family or their friends to the cruelty of the world and the harshness of the winter. Jack had been consumed by guilt looking at the Sandman to tell him what to do. He had stayed silent and had looked back at him.

He showed he did not disapprove of his nature; winter was winter and would always remain as such, but the twinkling in his eyes made him understand that maybe it was time to let these people regain strength and so Jack ad left for a more isolated area, sparing the humans for a bit. Jack couldn't shake the thought that during those years he had helped Pitch quiet a lot in his work of spreading fear and misery even if none believed in him. Maybe that was why Sandy had given Jack the hint to leave.

Sandy was the most understanding out of the four and Jack was honored to call someone as old and wise his friend. They were both rather silent and could enjoy each other's company wordlessly, which was turning in some kind of routine as they often came across each other on their travels around the globe and sometimes they would sit on a roof or whatever suited them, watching the sand do its work.

When Jack's eyes fell on Bunnymund he felt utter shame and embarrassment. Lately he had had problems looking the Pooka in the eyes since now he remembered just how much he had loved spring, Easter and the Easter rabbit. It had been his favorite season, when true to Bunny's word everything came to life once again and when it got warm enough for him to venture out into the woods to climb on trees and scare Pippa whit his neck-breaking antics.

As a five year old, he remembered making a very badly drawn sand-picture he had made of the Easter bunny as a little thank you for the pretty eggs he had hidden near their house one year. They had been so beautifully designed that Jack had nearly cried when they had to break them so that they would not get spoiled.

This time the blush came more fiercely and Jack drowned his face in his mug in the hopes the others would not notice. To his relief they really didn't.

Out of all of them, Bunny had been his favorite before his death, just like Tooth had been for Pippa and he felt stupid for having caused his childhood hero so much hassle, the worst being the snow-storm from '68 or this Easter. That's why he would not screw up the next time. He would make up for his wrongdoings.

Still, Bunnymund had not been the friendliest sprite on earth too, accusing Jack of only bringing cold and sickness to the people on their very first meeting. It also had been on an Easter Sunday but around 1900. They had met briefly seeing that he had been offended for making only a little frost. That was when he decided to nag the bunny out of spite and to prove to him that he also had his worth.

By now Jack knew that Bunny really just hated the cold and Jack found it somewhat ironic that instead of becoming a spirit of spring, his most favorite season, he became the very opposite to the Easter spirit thus becoming automatically his rival too.

But the true reason why he felt awkward was actually the thought that instead of just being a kid that believed in these legends, he was actually one of them.

A child, a great believer of these Guardians, reborn as one of the people he looked up to and was now part of their strange family. And Jack liked that idea. He knew the awkwardness would go away one day.

It was just a matter of time until he sorted out his own very mixed-up feelings.


End file.
